Here's the new case I've been waiting to share with you! It just took place a few days ago. Put on your thinking cap and then try to solve this misterio! You can do it, Barrio Mystery Busters, I know you can! Have fun!

Hola, amigos! Valiente and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you got all of the presents (including one from Pancho Claus) that you were hoping for! I had a great Christmas and now I'm getting ready for New Year's Day! Are you ready to celebrate the new year and say goodbye to the last one? I am! I think! We'll see. In the meantime, I have a case I'm working on; a new case that I will share with you after the New Year!

Before Christmas gets here, Valiente and I wanted to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!I also wanted to share a video, in Spanish, from The Little Drummer Boy. This is one of my favorite Christmas shows of all time!I hope you like it too! Feliz Navidad!

Hi everyone! Perla Garcia and Valiente here! (Wooolllfff!!)

I hope everyone is getting ready for Christmas, Feliz Navidad!

This morning, I was wondering if you've discovered the Super Sleuth Word Games on my website?

​They're great fun, and guess what? You can print them out!

All you have to do is click here or on the banner above to get to the word games.

You will see the word games connect to the first two books in my series.

If you haven't read my first two adventures you can print them out for free by clicking here or here!

Watch Coco in Spanish before it's too late!

If you're looking for a theater in your statewhere you can watch Coco in Spanish click here!

Valiente and I watched it in Spanish, it was AWESOME!

Thanks, Pixar!

Perla Garcia's Misterio Busting Handbook is here!

It's here! It's finally here!

The Perla Garcia Misterio Busting Handbook!

In case you missed it, it's here! My misterio busting handbook.

Just click on the folder and you're there!

You'll get tips and rules on how you can become a barrio mystery buster just like me and Valiente (Wooolllfff!)

Enjoy!

Come on, lets start busting some misterios today!

The Haunted Railroad Tracks

A photograph of the haunted railroad track!

Hola! Hello! Perla Garcia and Valiente here. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Dia de dal Gracias, Thanksgiving! Valiente and I did and so did my entire family! We ate and ate and ate. My tamales came out perfect. Everyone loved them, but my mama’s turkey stole the show as it does every year. It was so good that everyone came back for seconds, including me and Valiente. And guess what? I got the wishbone and when I faced off with my prima, my cousin, to see whose wish would come true I won!

Did my wish come true? Yes, it did! Already!

What was my wish?

I wanted a great ghost story from my Uncle Felipe, and guess what? He didn’t let me down. The name of his story was The Haunted Railroad Tracks. He heard the story when he was driving up with his familia from Mexico to West Texas. On the way they stopped near the San Juan Mission just south of San Antonio, Texas. It was there where an old man he met at a reststop told him the story of the haunted railroad track.

As the story goes there was a nun driving a bus full of sleeping children. All was fine until the bus stalled on a railroad track. The nun tried to start the bus, but it wouldn’t start. Suddenly, from down the track, she heard the whistle of an approaching train and when she looked to see where the whistle was coming from she saw the light from the train coming down the track. She tried and tried to start the bus, but it did not start. The train crashed into the bus. The children were all killed and the nun was thrown from the bus. She lived!

The nun felt very bad about what had happened, and even though all of her friends tried to tell her that it was not her fault she could not forget what had happened.

After some time the nun was so sad that she decided to park her car on the same railroad track where the children had died. She waited and waited until finally she heard the train’s whistle and saw the light of the train barreling down the track. She closed her eyes and waited for the train.

Suddenly, she felt her car swaying back and forth and then her car started moving forward off the track. She looked behind her to see if someone was pushing her car. There was no one there!

The nun pushed the brakes of her car down as hard as she could, but the car kept moving forward. It moved and moved and just as the train roared by the last of the car left the track. The nun was safe!

After a minute the nun walked to the back of her car. There on the car’s trunk were the handprints of little children. The ghosts of the children had saved her life. The nun was so grateful for what her students had done that she opened a school for orphans. She taught there until she died, and when she died she was happy and at peace.

As for the haunted track? It is said that if a car gets stuck on the track the children are there to push the car to safety.

But wait, that wasn’t the end of the story.

“I didn’t believe it,” my Uncle Felipe added after a second, “so I told everyone to get out of the car.”

Everyone out of the car? I couldn’t believe it so I asked my aunt. She said, “Yes, yes, he made all of us get out of the car.”

“And then I parked the car on the track,” my Uncle said, “and I sat there until I heard and saw the train coming. It was big and black and it was moving fast!”

“Were you scared?” I asked.

“I was so scared that I was about to jump out of the car, but just as I was about to get out, the car started moving off the track. All by itself!”

“The ghost children,” I sighed.

“Yes,” my Uncle said, “the ghost children, and guess what?”

“What?” I asked.

“I left their small handprints on my trunk so you could see them.”​Me and Valiente immediately ran outside. Sure enough the small handprints were there!

But, did the ghost children make them or was it my Uncle playing a trick on me?

What do you think? Was my uncle tricking me or were the handprints real?

A photograph of the ghost children's handprints! Do you believe my Uncle Felipe's story?

There's a new mini-mystery waiting for you!Are you brave enough to solve it?Click on the picture of El Chupacabra to give it a try!If you dare!!!

El Dia de Dar Gracias: Celebrating a Latino Thanksgiving

Yes, I am looking forward to el Dia de Dar Gracias or Thanksgiving! This year we'll be having turkey, of course, but we are also going to be having some tamales! And guess what, I am going to be helping my mother, her sisters, and her closet friends make the tamales! This is not a first for me. I have been helping prepare the tamales since I was a baby.

When I was a baby sitting in my high chair, I probably ate more of the tamale dough, what is called masa in Spanish, than I actually spread out on the corn husks or hojas, as they are called in Spanish. I have photographs of me with masa all over my face when I was a baby and sometimes, when my mother feels like sharing, she pulls them out and shows them to the ladies while we're preparing for our Thanksgiving Day feast. I don't mind, because I can see the love in my mother's eyes when she shares them and then looks proudly at me as she does it!

Okay, so I love making tamales, but what I love most of all is when my Uncle Felipe and his family come to visit us from Mexico during Thanksgiving. He lives near Mexico City in the pueblo of Cholula. I love to see him because he always shares a ghost story or mystery with me when he visits!

Some say I got my mystery busting inspiration from him. I agree, but my Uncle Felipe always winks at me when someone says that, and then he says, "Oh, no. You have to be brave to solve mysteries, like Perla! I'm not brave. I'm too much of chicken!"

Everyone laughs and laughs, and then we all wait, especially the children, for him to tell us a story! I can't wait! It's definitely a tradition in our family!

​Do you have someone you can't wait to see at Thanksgiving? Do you have traditions for Thanksgiving that have been passed down from one generation to the next? Give it some thought. Talk to your parents, see if they can help you come up with a few!

Until next time, this is Perla Garcia and Valiente (Woooolf!) signing off!

Did you get a chance to check out one of my Mini-Mysteries? What about El Cucuy's Big Red Ear? Did you try to solve that mystery?

If you did, did you solve it? I bet you did!

When I was in school and the mystery of El Cucuy's Big Red Ear was happening in front of my eyes I had to think and think through the clues in front of me before I busted this mystery.

That's the thing I love about mysteries, they make me think! I hope they make you think too!

If you solved this mystery try another one of my Mini-Mysteries. Good luck!

Until next time, this is Perla Garcia signing off. (Valiente's taking a nap right now, but I'm sure he'd let out a loud bark if he was awake.)

Hi, Mystery Busters!

If you thought the mystery of The Black Ghost Train was a lot of fun (read about this mystery below), and challenging, try solving the mini-mysteries posted on my site. Start with El Cucuy's Big Red Ear. It's not as scary as my second book, Perla Garcia and The Mystery of El Cucuy, The Boogeyman, but it sure is a challenging mystery, and a lot of fun!!

I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving. What about you? Do you have special plans? Do you have family coming to visit? I do! I have special plans, and family is coming from all over to visit me and Valiente where we live, el Barrio de Guadalupe!

Until next time, this is Perla Garcia and Valiente (Woooolf!) signing off!

DID WE SEE AND HEAR THE GHOST TRAIN!? READ ON TO FIND OUT!

This Halloween was one of the best I can ever remember! It was fun and exciting!

Did we hear and see The Black Ghost Train??

Maybe, but first I have to ask, did you figure out why I thought we had heard The Black Ghost Train's whistle?

I hope you tried your best to figure it out. Well, I was pretty sure it was the ghost train's whistle because... all of the trains that normally pass through el Barrio de Guadalupe had already passed by, and none of them normally pass through the barrio late at night.

Did you figure it out? If you did, congratulations! If not, don't worry, you'll figure it out next time.

Now, for the most important part: Did we get some good Halloween candy? (Wolf!!) Valiente is barking. Of course, we got some good candy! But, what about The Black Ghost Train?

Yes, yes, we heard it again, and yes, Javier was with us.

We were hiding behind the bushes next to the railroad track when Valiente's ears perked up all of a sudden, and then we heard it, the whistle. Three times. Long sounds... like moaning. When it stopped it got quiet, really quiet.

And then all of a sudden we saw it... a light at the far end of the train tracks. It looked like a gold eye... like a bright gold eye of a one-eyed monster! The light got bigger and bigger, and as the light got bigger, it got brighter, and then all around us it got louder and louder, like the monster was growling and stomping its feet as it ran towards us!

Javier got scared. "What's that? What's that?" He yelled and yelled.

I was going to tell him that it was probably The Black Ghost Train, but before I could say anything this big, black thing roared by us! Its whistle was blowing loud and there was thick, white smoke pouring out from all around it!!

"The Black Ghost Train!" Javier screamed. "It's going to get us!"

I tried to grab him, and Valiente let out a loud bark, but before we could stop him, Javier ran away.

He was so scared that he even forgot his Halloween candy! Can you believe that?

By the time we turned our attention back to whatever was really passing by us, it was down the railroad track.

"Was that The Black Ghost Train?" I asked Valiente.

He was quiet for a second and then he barked. It was his way of saying, "If not, what else could it have been?"

As he barked, I kept looking down the railroad track. It was then that I saw it, saw The Black Ghost Train clearly. It was a dark night, but the ghost train was glowing and smoke was coming out of the top of it and... I... I... I could see right through it! It was The Black Ghost Train!! As it chugged further and further away, it let out a final whistle before it disappeared out of sight.

"A mystery," I whispered to Valiente. "It looks like we have a new mystery on our hands."

Valiente barked. It was his way of saying, "Another mystery! No problem! Bring it on!"

What do you think? Is The Black Ghost Train really real? Yes or no? Tell your mom or dad why you feel the way you do.

Until next time, this is Perla Garcia and Valiente signing off!

WE HEARD THE GHOST TRAIN!!!

Okay, so Valiente and I decided to put the flashlight back where we found it and then we kept a look out to see if anyone would come looking for it. Well, someone did come looking, my friend Javier. You might remember him from The Mystery of La Llorona. Valiente was the first to notice him. He was good. He didn't bark, but he raised his ears when he heard Javier.

Valiente and I waited in the dark until Javier turned on the flashlight, and when he did we came out from behind the brush. We scared him, even though we didn't mean to.

He told us he was hoping to hear the whistle from The Black Ghost Train, AND he said he hoped to see the Black Ghost Train itself.

I reminded him that only one person, Señora Maria, had ever seen the ghost train.

"Yes," he said, and then reminded me that she had seen it when she was a little girl.

"Maybe," he added, "The Black Ghost Train only shows itself to children."

Hum... he did have a point.

"What do you say," I asked him, "should we join forces?"

"Yes," Javier exclaimed.

I think he wanted to join us just so Valiente could protect him.

Either way, we hid behind the bushes and waited and waited and waited.

We were about to call it a night, when Valiente's ears perked up.

"What is it boy?" I asked him, and then, right then, me and Javier both heard the long whistle of what could only be The Ghost Train. It blew once and then twice and then for third time and then it stopped!

"That," I said, "must be The Ghost Train!"

"How, how," Javier wondered aloud, "do you know?"

"It's easy," I answered, as Valiente let out a bark!

Do you know how I figured out it must be The Black Ghost Train's whistle?

Join me later tonight and I'll tell you how I knew. In the meantime, we've all decided to come back to the railroad track after we're done trick-or-treating. I'm hoping that Javier is right about The Black Ghost Train showing itself to children.

We'll find out later tonight! Have a happy and safe Halloween!

For now, this is Perla and Valiente, signing off.

UPDATE!! on The Black Ghost Train!!!

Me and Valiente spent all of last night near the train track at Aztlan Park listening for the whistle of The Black Ghost Train. So far we have not heard anything! Yes, I'm disappointed, but I'm hoping we'll hear something tonight! Yes, we're going back tonight.Tomorrow, we will let you know if we hear something.

Oh, yeah, Valiente did find something very interesting near the train track, an old yellow flashlight. It was under some rocks. Like whoever owned it was trying to hide it.

Until tomorrow, this is Perla Garcia and Valente, signing off!

Okay, okay. Everyone's been asking me how to tell scary stories.

​I guess it's because Halloween is just a week or so away. I came up with some tips and passed them by Valiente for his approval. He liked my ideas so here goes.

After you read my tips practice them and then tell your own scary story. If you don't know a scary story I included one after my tips. You can use it until you come up with one of your own!

How to tell a scary storyA scary story is one of those things that all kids look forward to doing. But, to tell a scary story you have to be good at it, and you have to have a really scary story to share. (The scarier, the better!) To be good at it you have to use your voice, your eyes, and your hands, and sometimes, even your whole body. If you just stand there and talk with no feelings in your voice everybody gets bored and before you know it, no one will ever listen to you when you tell them you have a scary story to share.

So, take a look at my tips and then practice, practice, practice, and then, when Halloween gets here surprise your friends and family with a great, scary story!

Tricks and Tips to Telling a Scary Story:

Before anything, remember the following: Have fun! Take it easy! Relax! Be yourself! Trust yourself!

Find, or make up a scary story. The scarier the better! For ideas ask your parents, watch a scary movie, or a read a scary book. Best of all, make up your own scary story. Use ghosts, a spooky house, a creepy zombie, or Dracula, Dracula is always good!

Don’t just memorize your story. Tell it to your friends and family like your making it up as you go. Do this by pausing, or scrunching up your eyes, or making your voice louder or softer, or by using your hands to make a point, or to show what a character in your story is doing. So if you say, "the mummy grabbed my best friend," reach out with your hands and act like you're the mummy grabbing your best friend.

You're probably going to tell your story to more than one friend a time so practice turning your head this way and that, like you're talking to more than one person. People, especially kids, love it when it feels like you're talking to them.

Don't forget to set the scene: turn down the lights, or turn them off. Use a flashlight to shine shadows on your face or to point around the room or the playground to scare your friends. It helps if you yell, "Did you hear that?!" or "What was that?!" when you shine your flashlight around the room or the playground.

After you practice your story, your voice, your gestures, eye contact, and setting the scene a few times, take the time to practice a few more times. Remember to have fun!

Great job! Now you're ready to tell a scary story. Remember, keep your story clean, no cuss words, or ugly, bloody descriptions: a good storyteller never needs those things to tell a GREAT story!

In case you need a scary story to practice, here's one you can borrow. Happy Halloween!

Who's at My Door?

This is a true story. It's about my cousin, Junior.One night, while Junior was doing his homework, he heard something outside. It was the sound of something breaking... like glass.He put down his pencil and as he got uphe heard someone outside yelling, "Run, run, run!!"Junior crept to the window in his room and pulled back the curtain.He looked all around, but he didn't see anything, or anyone.Suddenly, he saw something flying in the sky.Was it a plane, a bird, a bat, or a ghost?It was so dark that he couldn't tell.Junior, quickly closed the curtain and ran into the living room of his house to tell his mother and father what he'd seen."Mom! Dad!!"Junior called and called for his mother and father."Mom! Dad!" They didn't answer. Where were they?He was about to go and check their bedroom, when he heard something walking on the roof of their house.The sound stopped and then Junior heard someone laughing at the front door of his house."Ding-dong!""Ding-dong!"The doorbell rang and rang.Junior swallowed hard, and then he walked to the door and asked, "Who's there? Who's there?""You," Junior heard the voice whisper. "I'm you. Open the door, I have something to show you."Junior took the doorknob in his hand and slowly turned it.The door creaked opened."Hello, Junior," the person said.Suddenly, the living room's light came on.It was Junior's mother and father.They were looking for Junior."Junior? Junior?" They cried.There was a knock at the door.Junior's parents answered it.It was Junior, but which one?"Thanks," the boy standing outside said."I accidentally locked myself outside."

To learn more about La Llorona or El Cucuyon Wikipedia click on their names.La LloronaEl Cucuy

Thank you to theAmerican Reading Companyfor selecting my first mystery to teach English and Spanish to​elementary school students!

Thank you toThe Latina Book Clubfor honoringmy first mystery!​

Marcella Meets My Publisher (and co-Author)

Marcella is a new friend of mine and Valiente. My publisher and co-author, Rodolfo, took this picture with her when he surprised her in Texas with some Perla Garcia Mysteries' swag! Hi, Marcella! Have you seen La Llorona in Arlington, Texas!

Yes, Me and Valiente were on the front page of La Voz, the barrio's newspaper where we live,after we solved the misterio, the mystery, of La Llorona.The article was written by my cousin Alex Garcia Romero.​He's only sixteen, and already he's a great reporter!I love him!

Here's a picture of me and Valiente. It's in color. I wanted to share it with you because​the picture of us in the article below was in black and white.

Here's the article published in La Voz when Valiente and Iwent to work busting the misterio, the mystery, of La Llorona!Yes, I was also excited that my story was going to be publishedby Ricardo Mendez. He's the greatest publisher of Latino stories of all time!